Damping device for music-boxes



(No Model.)

H. LANGFBLDER. DAMPING DEVICE FOR MUSIC BOXES.

No. 560,415. Patented May 19, 1896.

Jig-f2,

* INVENTOH r i W/TNESW n a 'fi fiw TM 57% w I @bmu x ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY LANGFELDER, OF JERSEY CITY, NE JERSEY.

DAMPING DEVICE FOR MUSIC-BOXES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,415, dated May 19, 1896. Application filed January 26, 1896. Renewed November 13, 1895. Serial No. 568,871. (No model.)

Be it known that I, HENRY LANGFELDER of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Damping Device for Music- Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to music-boxes hav ing combs sounded by pin-cylinders, starwheels, or other devices.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved damping device which is comparatively simple and durable in construction, cheap to manufacture, and arranged to positively damp the tongue of the comb previous to its being sounded by the pin of the cylinder and the tooth of the starwheel.

The invention consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement as applied on a music-box having a starwheel. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional face View of the improvement 011 the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. view of the rod for actuating the dampingbar. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modified form of the improvement as applied on a music-box having a star-wheel. Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional face view of the same on the line 6 (3 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of another modified form of the improvement as applied on a star-wheel music-box. Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional plan view of the same on the line 8 S of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of still another modified form of the improvement as applied on a star-wheel music-box. Fig. 10 is a sectional face view of the same on the line 10 10 of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a side elevation of another modified form of the improvement as applied on a musicbox having a pin-cylinder, and Fig. 12 is an enlarged sectional plan view of the same on the line 12 12 of Fig. 11.

The damping device, as illustrated in Figs.

To all whom it may concern: 4:

Fig. 4. is a face 1, 2, 3, and l, is applied 011 a music-box havin g a star-wheel A, adapted to sound a tongue B of the comb in the usual manner. The tongue Bis damped previous toa tooth of the starwlieel A striking the free end of the tongue, and for this purpose the tongue is engaged at its sides near its free end by two damping-bars O and 0, made of spring metal and formed like a pair of tongs, with their shanks C and 0 however, secured to the music-box frame. The resiliency of the damping-bars C and 0 holds the same normally out of engagement with the side edges of the tongue l3 but when the shanks C and O are pressed apart by a wedge-shaped lug or projection D then the two bars move toward each other to engage opposite sides of the tongue B. (See dotted lines in Fig. 2.) This projection or lug D is formed on a rod D, likewise made of spring metal and secured at its lower end to the music-box frame, the upper end of the rod being formed with a bend or incline D adapted to be engaged by the teeth of the star-wheel A previous to a tooth engaging the tongue B.

Now it will be seen that when the starwheel A is rotated in the usual manner to sound the tongue B then the star-wheel first moves with one of its teeth in contact with the end D to press the rod D rearward to force the wedged-shaped projection D between the shanks C and C and move the damping-bars C and C toward each other and in contact with the sides of the tongue B, as previously described. As soon as the tooth passes the end D then the resiliency of the rod D returns the latter to its normal position, and consequently the wedge-shaped projection D is withdrawn from the shanks C and C and the latter spring back to their normal position by the resiliency of their metal to move the damping-bars G and C out of contact with the tongue B. The latter is now struck by a tooth of the star-wheel A and sounded in the usual manner. Thus it will be seen that previous to the sounding of a tongue by the star-wheel A the tongue is damped by the damping-bars O and C, and the latter by their resilient force return to their normal position and out of contact with the tongue immediately previous to sounding the tongue by the star-wheel tooth. Thus the tongue can sound up to the time the tongue is to be resounded by another tooth of the star-wheel; but then the tongue is damped just previous to resounding, as before described.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the star-wheel A for the tongue B is adapted to pass between inclined projections E and E formed 011 the inside of the shanks of the dampingbars E and E, held normally out of engagement with the sides of the tongue B, but pressed into contact with the said tongue whenever a tooth passes between the projections E and E to force the shanks apart and the bars E and E toward each other.

As shown in Figs. 7 and S, the star-wheel A for the tongue B is adapted to engage with its teeth the bent end G of a spring-metal rod G, normally engaging an inclined arm F of a damping-bar F, likewise made of spring metal and adapted to engage one side of the tongue 1% whenever the rod G is moved rearward away from the inclined projection F. This rearward movement of the rod G takes place when a tooth of the star-wheel A engages the bent end G, it being understood that the resilient action of the bar F then causes the latter to move against the side of the tongue B to damp the same.

As shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the dampingbar II, of spring metal,is adapted to engage one side of the tongue B adapted to be sounded by the star-wheel A the latter previous to sounding the tongue pressing a bend I in a spring-rod l, resting with its free end on an inclined arm H of the damping-bar ll. Now by reference to Fig. 10 it will be seen that whenever the rod I is pressed it moves in contact with the arm H, so that the bar H is forced against one side of the tongue B As shown in Figs. 11 and 12, a pin-cylinder A is employed to sound the tongue B adapted to be engaged at one side previous to its being sounded by a damping-bar J, normally held out of contact with the side of the tongue by an inclined arm K, projecting from a springrod K, having the bent end K adapted to be engaged by a pin of the cylinder A previous to the pin striking the tongue B Now it will be seen that when the pin moves in contact with the bent end K then the bar K is pushed outward and the arm K is moved away from the bar J, so that the latter by its resiliency moves in contact with the side of the tongue B to damp the same. As soon as the tooth has passed the bent end K the rod K moves back to its normal position by its resiliency and the arm K presses against the bar J to move the latter out of contact with the tongue 13*.

It will be seen that by the arrangement described no complicated lever mechanism whatever is necessary to properly damp the tongues of the comb, it being understood that the device can be very cheaply manufactured and readily applied on any music-box without great cost.

As hereinbefore described, the damper may be actuated from the cylinder-pins or from the teeth of a star-wheel or generically from any projections moving with the tonguesounding mechanism.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A damping device for music-boxes, comprising a resilient damper for the tongue, and a resilient bar engaging the damper and extending into the path of travel of projections moving with the tongue-sounding mechanism, substantially as described.

2. A damping device for music-boxes, comprising a pair of damping-bars arranged crosswise of each other, and means for operating the damping-bars, substantially as described.

A damping device for in usic-boxes, comprising a spring-metal damping-bar adapted to come in contact with the tongue of the comb, but normally out of contact therewith, and a spring-rod independent of the bar and adapted to be pressed by a projection on the tongue-sounding mechanism, the rod being adapted to actuate the said damping-bar, and cause the latter to move into contact with the tongue of the comb the said bar and rod by their own resiliency moving back to their normal position previous to the said projection striking and sounding the tongue, substantially as shown and described.

l. A damping device for music-boxes, comout of contact with the sides of the tongue, and a rod adapted to be actuated from the tongue-sounding mechanism, and adapted to press the said damping-bars, to move the latter in contact with the side of the tongue, substantially as shown and described.

HENRY LANGFELDER. \Vitnesses:

THEo. G. Hosrnn, J NO. M. BITTER.

prising a pair of damping-bars held normally I00 

